Zamalek dropped their first two points of the season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Enppi in a league game on Wednesday.
Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed opened the scoring for Zamalek in the 45th minute of the game, while Ahmed Khalil leveled the score five minutes from time.
The defending champions failed to bounce back from their defeat to archrivals Ahly in the Egyptian Super Cup on Friday, slumping to another failure five days later.
Zamalek were on a quest for an early lead, pushing forward the attack, but they failed to pose a real threat.
They needed to wait until the 43rd minute to gain a penalty after a reckless tackle from Enppi defender against Zamalek winger Mostafa Shalabi.
Spot kick specialist Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed converted the penalty to open his scoring account this season after finishing last season as the competition’s top scorer with 19 goals.
As usual, Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira relied on his defensive strategy to keep his side’s lead, making many defensive modifications in the second half.
Midfielder Youssef ‘Obama’ Ibrahim replaced sole striker Seif Jaziri and Abdallah Gomaa replaced attacking winger Sayed Abdallah, giving the chance for Enppi to pose a threat to his side.
The Portuguese coach was punished for his cautious strategy, five minutes from time, when defender Ahmed Khalil rose above his marker to meet a pinpoint cross from a corner with a nice header to fire home.
The White Knights intensified their attacks during the remaining minutes to score the winner, but it was too late.
Zamalek are now third on the league table with seven points, two behind leaders Ahly.
